Best Restaurants in Miami

With more than 6,000 places to eat in Miami, you'll find any type of food you fancy from award-winning restaurants to local street fare favorites. Even as the trendy spots multiply, the cuisines traditionally associated with this part of South Florida—seafood and Cuban options that have grown along with the diverse community—remain plentiful and palate-worthy options.

Cuban Cuisine

There's no better place to gauge the mood of the Cuban community or enjoy traditional Cuban fare than Versailles, a Miami institution since 1971. Sample favorites like the shredded beef dish, roast pork loin and ropa vieja, which translates to old clothes. You're sure to enjoy entrees paired with Southern Florida staples like plantains or rice and beans. Portions at Versailles are large, yet economical. 

You'll also find delectable Cuban food at mouthwatering prices at Exquisito Restaurant. This eatery boasts one of the best Cuban sandwiches in Miami, along with unexpected fare like "Italian-style" liver served with rice and plantains—all for under $15. Both restaurants are on Calle Ocho, the main artery in Little Havana. Finish off your meal at either place with a traditional Cuban coffee.

Local Fresh seafood

Views of the Miami River, with the city's skyline in the distance, are as much a reason to dine at Garcia's Seafood Grille & Fish Market as the ocean-caught fare. Opened in 1976 by a duo of Cuban refugee brothers, Garcia's has two outdoor decks where you can watch boats drift by while you pass around plates of oysters, conch fritters or fried grouper fingers for appetizers. A fresh filet of fish—fried, grilled or blackened—is the entree of choice.

You can also feast on stone crabs in season from October through May, at the most famous place to savor this South Florida delicacy, Joe's Stone Crab. This South Beach institution is infamous for its 3-hour lines, but you can skip them and order your crustaceans to go. Don’t forget to add the heavenly key lime pie to your order to polish off your meal with tang.

American-Style Fare

If eating farm-to-table is important to you, don't miss Michael's Genuine Food & Drink in Miami's Design District. The menu is organized into small, medium, large and extra-large plates, like a Greek farro salad at one extreme and a 24-ounce ribeye at the other. Choose according to your appetite and budget.

If you count people-watching as a hobby, ask for an outdoor table at Nexxt Cafe in South Beach, where the extensive menu features everything from tapas and burgers to pasta and pizza. Regardless of who you’re traveling with, you’re sure to find something to please the pickiest of palates at this restaurant.

Italian Restaurants

Expect a wait at Cafe Prima Pasta in Miami Beach. This popular 140-seat Italian restaurant is run by the Argentine family that opened it in 1993. Whether you end up swirling squid-ink linguini around your fork or digging in to ravioli bursting with crabmeat, the homemade pasta is a proper reward for your patience. Photos throughout the dining room offer a glimpse at celebrities that have dined here.

If you're craving pizza, delicious slices are found at Andiamo! Brick Oven Pizza in the Miami Modern district. A few miles south, in Coral Gables, check out Randazzo's Little Italy, where boxer-turned-chef Marc Randazzo serves up some of the area's best meatballs.

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